Writer Lev Ovalov: biography and creativity

Among Soviet writers there are many talented masters of the detective genre. These include Arkady Adamov (whose work “The Motley Case” actually revived the popularity of detectives in the USSR), Sergey Vysotsky (“Anonymous Customer”, “A Cool Turn”), Stanislav Rodionov (“Criminal Talent”) and others. As a rule, the heroes of these novels are criminal investigators or private investigators. Many of the authors themselves once investigated crimes, and the works are written on the basis of life experience, which makes them especially accurate and realistic.

One of the Soviet authors who created detective stories is Lev Ovalov. He wrote more than three dozen works.

Biography

The future writer, whose real name is Lev Sergeyevich Shapovalov, was born on August 29, 1905 in the Oryol region, Pokrovsky district, the village of Uspenskoye. Ovalov lost his father early - he died participating in the First World War. After its completion, the mother, taking Leo and his brothers with her, went to the village where the future writer was born.

In 1918, Lev Ovalov joined the Komsomol and held the position of head of the local Komsomol cell. Two years later, he became a member of the All-Union Communist Party, and some time after that he was appointed secretary of the Komsomol Committee of Little Archangels.

In 1923, Lev Ovalov moved to Moscow with the aim of obtaining higher education. He entered Moscow State University at the medical faculty. It was at this time that Lev Ovalov began his writing career, visiting the literary circle "Antenna". His essays were often published on the pages of Working Moscow and the Peasant Newspaper. The first full-fledged work - the story "Chatter" - was released in 1928.

Despite his medical education, after graduation, Ovalov worked as an editor in the newspapers Komsomolskaya Pravda, Around the World, and Young Guard. In 1939, the story “Blue Swords” was published, which laid the foundation for a cycle of works about Major Pronin. Within two years, 6 more stories and a novel from this series were written.

Some time after the outbreak of World War II, Lev Ovalov was accused of revealing classified information. The next 15 years of his life passed in camps. Returning to Moscow, Ovalov continued to write, creating not only detective stories, but also historical works. Lev Sergeyevich died on April 30, 1997 in Moscow.

Creation. Major Pronin cycle

The series includes 6 stories, 1 story and 2 novels. Ivan Nikolaevich Pronin is a Chekist policeman investigating various cases and falling into incredible situations, from which he always finds a way out. Pronin is often called the Soviet James Bond. For decades, millions of citizens of the USSR have been reading stories about him - works are often reprinted both in separate books and in collections. References to this character can be found in the story of the Strugatsky brothers “The city is doomed”, the song of Sergey Minaev, the films “Fire, Water and Copper Pipes” and “Private Detective, or Operation“ Cooperation ”.

Other works

The writer's work does not end on Pronin. One of Lev Ovalov’s equally well-known books, which has nothing to do with the major cycle, is The Bouquet of Scarlet Roses. This work was written after returning from a 15-year link.

In the novel, Ovalov shows how much the new Moscow surprised him. Over the many years of absence, much has changed: young people now have different hobbies and ideals to follow. Rock and roll and jazz, Coca-Cola and pipe pants, Elvis Presley and James Bond rule the world. But in the new country, state security agencies continue to work, which, in the story, are trying to uncover espionage activities of a foreign diplomat.

One of Lev Ovalov’s later works is Remember Me. It is not connected with either intelligence or espionage, but tells about the fate of a Moscow schoolgirl. The girl fell into a religious sect, and loved ones are trying to free her from the hands of sectarians.

Criticism and reader reviews

Despite the fact that Major Pronin is often compared with James Bond, Ovalov wrote his works much earlier than Jan Fleming. Critics note that Ovalov used elements of a noir detective story, which are based on a tense plot and a crude manner of narration. Events in the works of Lev Ovalov are developing quickly and dynamically. However, in noir novels, the hero is usually a criminal. The writer decided to follow the traditions of the classic detective and make the main character a person investigating the case.